


the beginning of perseus's journey began with his mother

by Tatsumaki_sama



Series: The Odyssey of Bryce Wayne [11]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Brainwashing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Female Bruce Wayne, Kid Fic, Kidnapping, Mother-Son Relationship, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Protectiveness, Timeline What Timeline, Unreliable Narrator, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24793381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: Brainiac made good his word to study Bryce and any of Clark's offspring. Jon happened to get caught in the middle of it.
Relationships: Clark Kent & Jon Lane Kent, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Jon Lane Kent & Bruce Wayne
Series: The Odyssey of Bryce Wayne [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/672506
Comments: 10
Kudos: 204





	the beginning of perseus's journey began with his mother

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow up of the hydra will consume kingdoms (burn all its heads if you can). I really liked the idea of Jon being Clark and Bryce's son. You would also think Bryce would be able to talk properly with a child after having so many kids herself, but nope, not in this universe, but she is trying. Not to mention that it would mean Jon and Damian are actually half-siblings which would be adorable, as well as Jon having plenty of other brothers. I also wanted to bring out a lot of adult fears when it comes to having Jon and Jon himself fearing for his parents who live such dangerous lives. Brainiac will be creepily obsessed with it as always.

Jon woke up to gritty eyes and a heaviness over his whole body.

The unfamiliarity of the bed and strange mechanical sounds made Jon realize he was not in his room or even at the Manor and he suddenly sat up.

He realized he was in the Watchtower.

It was a place he and Damian had been dreaming to visit, begging to let Mom and Dad ( _“ Superman is not_ my _father,” Damian had sniffed indignantly_ ) to let them come up there to see Earth and all the stars. But they said no, saying they were still far too young.

Jon ended up going up to space anyways when Dad went off-world and Mom brought him to the Manor to stay for two weeks. Which had been amazing, because he got to eat Grandpa Alfred's cooking every day and stay up late with Damian and Tim to play video games his parents wouldn't approve of, and watch and help Dick and Jason as they fixed their motorcycles and then go for a ride with them across the city in the middle of the night.

It had all been going great until that weird alien robot came and crashed into the Manor, attacking Mom, Dick and Damian and managing to capture Jon and Mom and beaming them up to his ship, as his brothers screamed their names.

When they came to, they were already in space.

The alien, as Mom introduced as Brainiac, did not appear in person but spoke to them as a disembodied voice from somewhere in the ceiling. He was talking about tests and research and something about Dad and plenty of words that made Jon's head spin but all of it made Mom narrow her eyes and to push Jon behind her as if her body alone could protect him.

Which led her to hatch an escape.

_They made it to one of the escape pods but there wasn't enough time and Brainiac's robots had already found them._

_She stood up suddenly from the ship's controls, making Jon start nervously. “ Mom?”_

_There was a grim set to her mouth as she looked out at the advancing robots surrounding them on the docking platform, before looking back at him._

_He already knew what she was planning to do._

“ _No, Mom!”_

_He tried to jump away from the front of the tiny ship, refusing to abandon her like this, only for Mom to grab him and set him back down._

“ _The ship's coordinates are set to bring you back to Earth. Find your father and tell him what happened.” Mom was forcing him to look at her, holding onto his shoulders as he tried to squirm away. Her voice was calm, how could she be talking like she was scheduling a medical appointment for him, but it only agitated Jon more._

“ _Mom, don't! We can both – ”_

_She didn't respond as the ship rocked. She pushed Jon into one of the seats, which automatically snapped a seat belt over him, and she stepped back, the hard set of her mouth the only thing betraying her emotions._

“ _Go.”_

“ _Mom!” he screamed._

_The last thing he saw before the ship's door slammed down was how she turned around and unflinchingly headed straight for the swarms of robots, before the ship shot out, the roar of its engines drowning out Jon's cries for his mother._

In what appeared to be either only minutes or hours later, Dad had found the ship with Jon still strapped to the seat, leaving gouges and dents all around in the ship in his desperate attempts to escape.

Jon sobbed in his father's arms, saying how Mom was probably dead now because of helping him escape and what are they going to tell Grandpa Alfred and Dick and Damian and the rest of his brothers.

Dad gently shushed and rocked him as he cried and and cried and the next thing Jon knew, he was here.

He had expected his father or maybe one of his brothers sitting next to him but they weren't. No one was here at the infirmary.

Jon slipped out of the bed, his bare feet pattering on the glossy floor. He hesitated for a moment but steered himself and left the room.

He shouldn't be straining his ears and trying to eavesdrop on Dad to locate him as Dad had told him it was not very polite to do if it wasn't an emergency. Damian had told Jon it was fine as long as he didn't get caught. Mom and the rest of his brothers did it all the time for work and they didn't have even have super hearing.

Dad's voice was distantly heard a few floors above him so Jon headed in that direction, making sure to hide if he heard incoming footsteps.

Upon arriving at his destination, Jon peeked around the corner.

Dad was standing in front of the giant monitor, still wearing his Superman outfit. His shoulders were tense and hunched like the weight of the world was on him. Next to him was Aunt Diana, equally looking anxious. There were others too, standing and watching the monitors too, but Jon couldn't remember their names.

Because on the screen was Mom.

Except Mom never looked like that. Her eyes were unblinking and glazed over, like she was in a trance. When she spoke, her voice was flat and monotone. And she would never call Dad by that name.

“ Hello Kal-El.”

“ Brainiac, what did you do to Bryce?” Jon couldn't remember a time he had ever heard his father sound that frightfully calm and infuriated all at once.

“ Your mate was most uncooperative and unwilling to comply, even aiding in the escape in your offspring. I lost a rare and valuable research subject due to her actions. So I had no choice but to make her submit to me.”

There was a loud _crack_ snapping across the room. The keyboard near Dad's hands was splintering and spitting out sparks under his fingers. “ You leave her out of this,” Dad growled.

“ That would be unacceptable. Your mate is the first of a non-Kryptonian species to have successfully gave birth to a Kryptonian hybrid,” Mom continued to speak in that same detached tone. Jon shivered at hearing Mom talk like that. “ The fact she managed to survive to deliver the child was most intriguing. And your offspring is composed the best genetic material gained from you and her, having managed to survive from infancy until now. His abilities and the extent of what he can do is yet to be discovered. The knowledge to be gained from them will be most informative.”

“ Bryce and Jon are _not_ your test subjects,” Dad coldly said.

“ Irrelevant. Knowledge must be collected. This is a rare opportunity that I cannot disregard. I at least have one remaining specimen at hand.”

Mom stared down impassively through the screen, a mockery of her usual stern looks.

“ Kal-El, I require you and your offspring to meet me at these coordinates. Should you not arrive at the selected time and place, I will cause your mate to terminate herself.”

The rest of the keyboard under Dad's hands gave way.

“ You – !”

“ Do not delay, Kal-El. I will be waiting.”

The screen clicked off.

Dad's breathing was surprisingly loud and harsh in the silence.

Aunt Diana placed a reassuring hand on Dad's shoulder. “ Clark, it's going to be all right,” she quietly said. “ We will rescue Bryce.”

“ I know.” Dad sounded tired. “ I should have never left Earth if I knew – ”

“ But you didn't,” Aunt Diana gently said. “ No one could have predicted this. This wasn't your fault.”

“ I should have known,” Dad muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “ Brainiac was never going to rest until he gets what he wants. He got Bryce before, and now with Jon in the picture ...”

“ Dad?”

Surprised, everyone turned to see him but Jon was only looking at his father.

Dad pulled himself together, Jon could see how he forced himself to inhale a slow breath, forced himself to ease the stress lines around his mouth and to stop clenching his fists like he was going to break something else, as he slowly turned around to face him.

“ Jon,” Dad said, giving him a half-hearted stern look, like he had not just seen Mom being held hostage by an insane alien robot. Dad didn't even bother asking how much Jon had seen. “ You should be in the infirmary.”

“ I know but – ” Jon's eyes trailed back to the blank screen. “ That was Mom, right? But she didn't sound right. What 's wrong with her?”

“ She was being controlled by Brainiac.” Dad's words were heavy. “ He's making her say and do things she doesn't want to.”

“ Is it because of me? Is this because she helped me escape?”

“ Jon – ”

“ It's all my fault then! That Brainiac is hurting Mom and doing this to her and now Mom is going to – ”

Jon couldn't even say it. Tears started welling up in his eyes.

Dad pulled him into a hug. “ This wasn't your fault, Jon,” Dad softly said. “ The only person to blame for all of this is Brainiac. We will get her back. I promise.”

Jon gripped his father's cape like his life depended on it.

In some ways, he did.

~.~.~

Jon had wanted to go but his father, along with every other superhero, staunchly refused.

Dad had wanted him to go back to the Manor and Jon was sorely tempted to see if Dick and Damian were all right but the thought of waiting back on Earth while Mom was in trouble somewhere in space was unbearable.

He couldn't remember a time when he fought with his father like this. Finally, Dad relented to some degree and allowed him to stay at the Watchtower while Dad went to meet with Brainiac.

Dad had wanted him to remain in the infirmary at the very least but Jon, in true form like his mother, managed to sneak out again, and found his way to the monitor room where some of the remaining superheros were observing the rendezvous point with assistance from several hidden cameras and audio transmitters.

“ Jon, I don't think you should be watching ...” someone was hesitantly saying.

At least the other adults didn't try to drag him away

But Jon wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking at the monitor where his mom was.

She was standing in front of Brainiac's ship, unnaturally still. Her eyes remained dazed and empty, arms listlessly at her sides. Jon wondered if she was even breathing.

Dad's own ship had landed and Dad was approaching her with one of his friends who was disguised as Jon to not make Brainiac suspicious.

“ Let Bryce go, Brainiac,” Dad was saying coldly. “ We're here.”

“ Very well.”

And just like that, Mom blinked and she was herself again. She swayed and her legs folded underneath her.

Dad had already caught her before she collapsed. “ Bryce, can you hear me? Are you all right?”

The worry and panic in Dad's voice made Jon's heart race.

“ Hnn.”

Who would have thought hearing that familiar noncommittal sound would be the best thing?

“ Clark?” Mom sat up unsteadily, one hand clutching her head, the other on Dad's arm. “ Brainiac, he – ”

“ I know,” Dad soothed. “ Don't worry. Jon and I will take care of things.”

Mom's eyes flickered towards Jon's doppelganger with carefully hidden alarm. But almost immediately, she relaxed, already knowing that this was not her son kneeling next to her.

As he was talking, Dad pressed something in Mom's hand. She glanced down at it and back to Dad. Then she gave a minuscule nod, barely noticeable.

Jon had heard Dad and Aunt Diana whispering about it before Dad had left. Dad looked tormented about using it, this device that would administer some sort of powerful sedative injection into a person's system and cause them to lose consciousness within seconds. Dad quietly told Aunt Diana that Mom had been working on it, then shelved it away for some time and it wasn't fully tested, if there were any side effects and it wasn't ready for use yet.

But she had told him it was meant to be used on her if she ever became a threat.

Mom had always stressed the need for contingency plans and what to do if the worst happened. Damian and Tim agreed with the necessity of it. Dick didn't, arguing it could be used wrongly. Jason was neutral about it. And Jon –

He never thought he would see his mother look at his father with nothing but trust in her eyes and without hesitation, administer the sedative to herself.

He didn't want to ever watch his mother crumble in a boneless heap into Dad's arms, unconscious, like that again.

~.~.~

Dad had stayed constantly by Mom's side after they got back in the Watchtower.

Brainiac had become uncharacteristically angry upon realizing what Mom had done and that Dad had tricked him. Dad and the rest of his friends proceeded to destroy all of Brainiac's doubles, trashed his ship and Dad even personally hauled the supercomputer that held Brainiac's consciousness to be locked away for good in the Fortress.

Jon watched all of this with nail-biting anxiety, even as Dad carried Mom back to the Watchtower and kept reassuring Jon that Mom was going to be just fine even after they removed the nanotechnology inside of her.

He wondered if Dad kept saying that partly to convince himself.

Dad had even refused to let go of her hand until Aunt Diana had to convince him to shower and get something to eat. Dad hesitated and started to insist he was fine, he would stay here until Dick and the others arrived.

To which, Jon said he would stay and look after Mom until Dad got back.

Because Dad looked like a mess, dark circles under his eyes and hair all rumpled. Dad was worrying sick over them both and probably didn't eat or sleep since. Dad deserved a break.

With a fond smile and looking a bit more like his usual self, Dad ruffled Jon's hair and promised to be back soon with some food, especially some ice cream for him. Aunt Diana gratefully smiled at him as they both left.

Leaving Jon alone with his own thoughts.

Dad and everyone else kept saying that Mom was fine now, they removed whatever it was that Brainiac had put in her, she was just resting and she would be back to her usual self after some time.

But Jon had a hard time believing it.

There was a burning prickle at the corner of his eyes. He wasn't a child anymore, but the sight of his mother lying in a hospital bed just made him feel so –

Useless.

Mom had always seem invincible, even more than Dad at times. She was a force to be reckoned with, never stopping, always moving forward. To see her so still like this, it made Jon's whole world feel unbalanced.

It was then that Mom stirred and opened her eyes.

They were exhausted but there was no traces of that alien lingering there. It was all her.

“ Mom!”

“ Jon.” Mom sat up, ignoring the warning beeps from the medical machines. Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings and any sign of danger. “ Are you all right? And your father?”

“ I'm fine!” Jon wiggled his fingers to prove so, even as Mom inspected him herself. “ Dad just went to get something to eat.”

Mom exhaled the breath she had been holding as she settled back into the bed.

A silence descended upon them.

Mom was looking at him but Jon was resolutely staring at the floor, beginning to find his shoelaces fascinating, his mouth pressed into a tight line that Jason had once laughed and said he looked exactly like Mom whenever he did it.

When Jon continued to give her the silent treatment, Mom frowned.

“ You are angry at me,” she said matter-of-fact.

“ Of course I am,” Jon heatedly said. It sounded childish but he didn't care.

“ Why?” she calmly asked.

Jon felt like he could burn a hole on the floor if he kept staring. “ You made me leave you behind.”

The look on Mom's face was somewhat bemused. “ I had to.”

Sometimes it was hard talking to Mom. Despite being the smartest person in the world and able to know another person's second cousin once removed, what they had for breakfast three days prior and what grade they got on their last math assignment with a singe glance, she just didn't get it.

“ Why did you do it?” he finally said through clenched teeth.

“ It was dangerous.”

“ So? It was dangerous for you staying behind like that!”

“ It was to keep you safe.”

“ But you weren't safe either.”

“ I can handle these situations.”

“ You got captured anyways.”

“ It was a risk I was willing to take.”

“ I can fight!”

Something dark flashed across Mom's face. “ You are not ready yet,” she sternly said.

“ You and Dad have trained me.”

“ You are still a child.”

“ Everyone keeps saying that! You, Dad, Aunt Diana. I can handle myself! I could have protected you! Brainiac would have never hurt you if I stayed with you!”

Because that was the crux of it all, wasn't it? That Jon would have fought to the bitter end to prevent Brainiac or anyone with ill intention from coming near his mother.

It killed Jon to have his mother so violently and suddenly taken away from him like that. By his mother's own choice who sacrificed herself all too willingly to save him and not herself.

Mom's eyes softened. There was an apology in her eyes, which somehow made it worse because Mom wasn't the kind to say sorry, even if she never said it out loud, unless it was really, really bad.

“ Jon, you saw how your father reacted when I got controlled,” she gently said. Of course Mom would know all about that. “ What do you think he would do if it was you and not me? Or if I knew Brainiac did that to you?”

Dad would have been devastated, perhaps even reacting more badly than right now. And if Mom was there, it might have been Mom breaking that keyboard instead. Or the one cradling his body if he was the one to deliberately allowed himself to get knocked out so Brainiac wouldn't take advantage of him and try to make him kill himself just to spite Dad.

The very thought made Jon tremble.

“ I know, but ...”

Jon never wanted to see Dad look so despairing and helpless like he had in the monitor room.

He also never wanted to see Mom taken against her will and be forced to hurt Dad.

He wished none of this had happened, like it was just some nightmare.

“ I can't promise this will never happen again,” Mom said quietly, as if reading his mind. “ But what happened to me, I would do it again if it meant you didn't.”

Her hand reached out to brush some hair away from his face. Mom was not one to initiate physical affection, that was usually Dad's thing. But her touch was warm and gentle and Jon leaned into it, relishing the feel of her calloused fingers on his skin.

“ I'm going to be fine,” Mom softly said. “ And your father too. Besides, your father says I worry enough between all of us,” she added lightly. “ So I don't want you to worry about us.”

Jon scrubbed at his eyes. The tears came back with a vengeance.

“ Come here, Jon,” Mom said.

And he obeyed, climbing into the bed, careful not to rustle any of the medical equipment attached to her. He curled up in a warm ball right under Mom's arm where he laid his head against her chest.

Her heartbeat was strong and steady and familiar as always.

“ Go to sleep,” Mom murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “ It's been a long day.”

He wanted to protest, he wasn't that tired, but his eyes were beginning to close on their own accord, as Mom's hand slowly began to stroke his hair. “ All right, just for a few minutes,” he muttered, burrowing closer to her.

“ Of course.”

Was it possible to hear someone smile?

He supposed so, as Jon drifted to sleep in his mother's arms.


End file.
